Kikaigakure
by Josephus Prime
Summary: A young candidate for the Chunin exams appears alone, from a village no one has ever heard of, with a prosthetic like no one has ever seen. Some think him dangerous. Others simply call him strange. He calls himself Shou Titan, and he no longer has to face destiny alone. Naruto makes him a promise, and we all know Naruto: He'll keep it.
1. The Boy With The Arm

_"'Cause broken people can get better, if they really want to."_

_-Frank Turner, "Recovery"_

**Kikaigakure; The village hidden in the machine.**

The ox driver gave a snort, the wheat between his lips bouncing as he raised an eyebrow back at the shinobi, sitting placidly in the hay in his cart. "I've never heard of it."

The ninja grinned pearly white teeth, and chuckled. Brown hair, a shade darker than fresh earth, was swept back on his head, set against a headband. The plate caught the light every now and then, the six-toothed gear glimmering innocently, as violet eyes below shone happily with a sunbeam gaze. There were few remarkable things about the boy in the back. He wore an aged mechanic's jumpsuit; faded blue with stains a few shades too dark to be blood, and a brilliant robins-egg cobalt bandana around his neck. The sleeves were sliced at the shoulder, leaving him with a worn vest.

It was his arms that made the boy remarkable, the driver mused, and why he was making for such excellent company. One was bare, save for a leather glove on the hand, and a tattoo of a number 4 on his upper arm. The way it was done, it could have been calligraphy that stubbornly refused to remove itself from the boy's tanned skin, but the ox driver had seen plenty of tattoos and painting in his time. It was the subtle burns around the edges that made driver recognize the mark as a branding.

And then there was the other arm. And it was barely an arm at all. The boy's left arm may have been regular, with a light sprinkling of fantastic, but the other was what stood out beyond all others. He had to have been only just over five feet tall, and well muscled, and, if it hadn't been for his right arm, he likely could've passed for just another ninja.

It was metal. The entire thing was a colossal metal contraption. While the driver was sure the lad's people could've made it resemble a true arm if they wanted to, the arm seemed to be a mechanical personification of the boy's personality: Big. Hoses led to a large shoulder pauldron on the vest, as some sort of synthetic, plated muscle made an upper arm. The forearm seemed to be a titanic gauntlet, almost the size of the young shinobi's torso. The fingers were thick as kunai, but each moved as fluidly and naturally as a true finger. The forearm was a cylinder, but in parts. Between those, a small, deep blue light, the same color as abyssal water, shone dimly, and at every space between synthetic muscle and metallic bone.

To others, it was a startling sight. To the ox driver, it was another story worth telling. And he loved stories almost as much as he loved his ox.

The shinobi's chuckle subsided as his violet eyes smiled at the aging driver. "I'm not surprised. We're new. Sort of bordering the Land of Iron."

Now, that made the driver grin with amusement. "'_Sort of_'."

"Yeah," The boy said with a chuckle, leaning forward over the wall of the cart, teeth shining brilliantly in the midday sun, the gear on his headband doing the same, "Sort of."

"Define '_sort of_'."

The boy pursed his lips in thought. He couldn't be more than fifteen, but by the way he acted, he could've been ten. "Sort of, but not quite?" The ox driver chuckled. The boy feigned a deadpan look. "There's a reason they're called 'Hidden Villages', you know."

"Makes you wonder why the exams are always held in the same darn town," The driver chortled, placing his eyes back on the road as the ox gave a huff. "So, where's the rest of your squad?"

"I'm sorry?"

The driver took his eyes off the road, and looked back, honestly surprised. "Your squad? You know, your team. Your fellow genin and your teacher."

"Oh, I'm it."

The driver blinked. "Come again?"

The boy smiled. "I'm it. We're new, remember? I'm the first genin to come out of Kikaikagure. Everyone else is Chunin-level or higher, or has something better to do."

Again, the driver was honestly surprised. "Wait, what's more important than the Chunin exams?"

"Defending the village?" The boy replied with a smirk, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and the driver was a fool for not seeing it, "Like I said, we're new. But, we're not going anywhere." He leaned back into the hay, hands connected under his head, feet resting on the head of the cart. Thick soled boots, the driver noticed, and with odd markings on the side. Weight bearing, possibly.

It was a while before the boy spoke, the hum of buzzards calling to one another the only other sound, save for the squeaking wheels on the axis. "Speaking of going places…"

The driver chortled again, and looked back to the road. "Won't be long now, son. Maybe another fifteen minutes, and we'll be at the gates."

"Big event, right?"

"The _biggest_!"

The boy sat up from the hay, pieces sticking to his hair before the titanic metal gauntlet brushed them out. "And you've been here, how many times?"

The driver thought for a moment. "This'll be my twentieth trip. Why?"

"Well," The boy said, and his violet eyes cast to the deserted road around them, "One of the _biggest_ events in the known world, _hundreds_ in attendance at the most _populous_ village on the continent, and it doesn't bother you that we're the _only people_ on the road?"

The driver froze. The boy was right. There were usually whole caravans of people flocking to Konohagakure to see the exams, civilians and ninjas alike. But this year, the road was bare, save for their cart. He'd been thankful for the lack of traffic, but it hadn't occurred to him how odd it was to see the road bare as a dead tree.

The shinobi shuffled in the back, and then the massive hand grabbed the ox driver's shoulder. "Stop here."

He didn't have to ask twice. Something in the voice made the driver want to listen to him, and he did. The driver couldn't help but notice the childish tone was gone from the young ninja's voice, replaced by a steely, calm tone, and what was unmistakably caution. He tugged on the reigns, and the ox came to a stop, casting a large eye at the driver in an odd look of confusion.

The boy vaulted the wall of the cart, landing on the dusty road. "You said it's only fifteen minutes, right?"

"S'long as you stick to the road."

The boy smiled up at him, the driver was surprised to see a mature certainty and calm brightness in his violet eyes. "Then I'll manage it from here. Thanks for the help."

The driver blinked as the boy began down the road, boots leaving large prints as the metal arm caught the light and shimmered. "Hold up!" He called, coming to a realization, "You never paid me!"

The boy stopped, and clapped his hands, rubbing the palms. "That's right!" He turned, and grinned a toothy smile. "When you get back to town, speak to the bartender." He raised the mammoth mechanized hand, giving the driver a bulky thumb up. "Tell him Shou Titan sent you."

The driver blinked, and nodded, and the boy set off down the road again, whistling a merry tune to himself. The driver shrugged, and turned. When he returned to the village, and dropped Shou Titan's name, he enjoyed the luxury of free drink and experienced women for the duration of the night. And when he woke up the next morning, Shou Titan was a new favorite story for him to tell.

* * *

Titan wasn't an idiot. He was far smarter than he looked. As the driver turned his ox around, which, under duress, finally started back the way they came, he darted into the woods.

There was a taste in the air, like copper, and humidity hung thick in the confined space. A haze was filling the woods, and Titan scowled. Raising his arms, both real sinew and synthetic muscle, he made a hand gesture and closed his eyes. "Kai."

The genjutsu was expelled in a burst of wind, and Titan opened his violet eyes to find himself staring at bodies, piled in the woods. Blood wept from some with more recent wounds, maggots and crows already were feasting on the others. Even under a genjutsu, a vulture can still smell a tantalizing carcass, and the circling buzzards overhead had given this body dump away. Man, animal, and cart lay over one another, and Titan scowled at the atrocious sight. He wasn't sure what was worse, the sight or the tepid stench of decaying flesh. He raised the bandana around his neck to cover his nose and mouth with his flesh hand, as purple eyes looked over the bodies.

Cloud. Mist. Rain. Moon. Star. Lightning. Stone. Even a few Leaf nin were scattered in the pile, likely a security detachment that came across the dump. Most numerous in the dump were civilians. Regular people, men, women, and children, who were just on the road for whatever reason it called them there, on this sunny, gorgeous day in the Land of Fire.

So, that's how things were out here in the wild. His father had been right about the world; it was no place for children to play in.

Titan sighed, and clapped his hands together in a short prayer, before raising his gauntlet. Chakra gathered in the fingertips, and, with a whisper, a blaze of fire burst from the tips of the mammoth digits.

It took some time, but soon, the bodies were given a full impromptu cremation. The flames swallowed man, woman, animal, and child all; everything from clothing to bone was rendered into ash. Carrion feeders sped in panic from the sight, and those that remained were, too, consumed by the blaze.

After a short time, Titan cut the chakra flow, and the fire vanished from the fingertips of the hand. The metal was glowing white with heat, but didn't melt or buckle as the young Machine ninja curled the sausage-sized fingers into a fist.

"Alright," He whispered to no one, "So, that's how it is? Fine. _Game on_."


	2. Lukewarm Greetings

There was hardly a great reception for the lone shinobi as Titan entered the village. There were, of course, stares and murmurs. You don't walk into a town with a forearm and fist the size of your torso, cast in shining metal, and not draw a few stares. But, Titan knew those looks. At home, people had been around him long enough to hardly care about his arm, but here? He might as well have been wearing a banana Sunday over his crotch as he streaked down the main street.

Waving the massive hand at a few scattered looks of total shock and awe (though a few were clearly fearful), Titan continued down the road, both of his arms swinging at his sides as he moved along. From his lips whistled a merry, jaunty tune, and he found the steel-toed boots moving in beat with the joyous rhythm. He passed by plenty of fascinating sights; Teams squabbling amongst each other in the name of national and personal pride, food carts and stalls with aromas that beckoned his taste buds and made him drool, and, occasionally, civilians or school children moving about the crowd.

Kikaigakure was nothing like this place. Sure, it was lively, but it was humble, and, in Titan's recent memory, he couldn't recall ever being somewhere with such pure life. The hustle and bustle of the daily grind was suddenly rushed and excited, a thrill settling over the villagers as they prepared their fine city to welcome a host of outsiders for the grand event.

Still, the purple-eyed boy with brown swept-back hair and the titanic arm drew plenty of stares and whispers. The deeper he went into the village, the more he heard.

"My god, look at that boy's arm!"

"Do you think he lost it, or…?"

"It's bad enough to have Uzumaki in town, but now we've got this runt."

"Do you think there are other parts of him that are machine? You know, important bits."

"I'll be facing a guy with that tomorrow? What a drag."

A month or so ago, Titan would've felt abashed, and hidden himself under some cloak. Now, though, he was proud of who he was. He fashioned it into a wall, through which no insult or heckling could penetrate.

But looks could. And one did.

He felt a tingle of watching eyes, and this time, Titan turned to face just who it was that was peeking. It was a girl, at the mouth of her compound. Pale, milky white eyes were watching, veins straining against her skin, but the moment he turned, she blinked, and the veins receded.

So this was the home of the Hyuga clan and their Byakugan, Titan realized. His father had worked (under duress) with a member of their house before. Titan himself was well aware of their near-sacred bloodline, and the little girl clearly was as well. She couldn't have been more than ten, with ebon black hair, and simple, plain robes. Her face was calm, and unapologetic. There was a look in the empty eyes that said, "I dare you to say something, stranger. I double dog dare you. Do it."

Titan just smiled, and waved the massive arm. "Hey, kiddo."

'Hey, kiddo' was clearly the last thing the girl expected. Her eyes widened, and she made a sound of surprise. After that, her tongue seemed to fail, and she settled for a down-the-nose glare. Granted, it must have hard to pull off, Titan mused, since she was so young and short.

In reply, he winked, pointing the forefinger and thumb, tongue clicking. It was a common gesture in his village, but it confused the living daylights out of the Hyuga child, who made that same sound of surprise, her face devolving from control into utter confusion.

Titan chuckled and turned, resuming his tune as he walked along the street. The girl watched him go, and, for a moment, Titan was sure he heard her murmur something along the lines of, "Weirdo."

* * *

"I'm sorry, would you mind repeating that?"

The Third Hokage wasn't the only one who seemed confused at Titan's statement. Hands on his hips, legs apart, Titan grinned at the room. Dumbstruck Jounin and one very bemused Hokage watched him. The aged, lined face turned upwards as a smile pulled at the old man's mouth, and the pipe loosed a cloud of smoke. Titan had heard the man was an authority, but he wasn't expecting The Third Hokage to be easily amused.

"I'm it," Titan said with a shrug of his shoulders, "I'm the delegation from Kikaigakure."

"Really now." It wasn't a question, just a factual statement. The old eyes, sharp as a hawk's, scanned the paperwork in front of him, the brim of the Hokage's headdress tilting down. "Kikaigakure," The old man mused under his breath, though all present could hear him, "The village hidden in the machine?"

He was curious, Titan could tell. It made the boy grin even wider. "That's us!"

"Shou," He suddenly said, looking up at the boy, "is a name I haven't heard since I first took this office. I wasn't aware your family had aspirations of becoming shinobi, let alone founding their own hidden village."

Titan nodded. "Us, and a few like-minded individuals. You should've gotten the information from one of my father's couriers by now."

"I did," The Hokage nodded, leaning back in his chair, removing the pipe from his lips, "The Shou, a legendary clan of blacksmiths and tinkerers, making a hidden village. Is it true what they say? Your inventions run on—"

"Chakra, yes sir."

Sarutobi grinned even wider, if possible, at that. "Well, that explains how your arm functions." Out of all present, the Hokage had stared the least at the appendage. Some were still having a hard time taking their eyes off of his prosthetic. Titan, ever the humble one, just smiled. "Tell me, how do you channel Chakra through it?"

Titan shook his head, one of the metal digits tapping his nose. "Top Secret, sir. Sorry."

The Hokage hardly seemed to mind as he flipped through two more pages, before reaching one on the bottom, looking up at Titan. "I have the greatest respect for your father, and your clan's history. I recognize Kikaigakure as a village of honorable and intelligent folk, but I will tell you this; my respect won't be able to help you in these exams.

"You will be completely alone," He continued, offering the paper to Titan, whose flesh hand took it, "Without allies or assistance. Your father seems to think it wise that you do this. I disagree, but I will respect his wishes out of deference to the good he's done. However," He spoke with a tone of finality, eyes narrowing to a steely cold glare, "You will be facing genin who work in teams, as well as challenges meant to be faced by those with comrades. Most genin don't pass the first time, even in teams, let alone by themselves."

"I know, lord Third."

That caught the Third Hokage by surprise. Granted, it wasn't a reeling reaction, but his eyebrow lifted ever so slightly. "Oh?"

Titan nodded, the smile gone from his face, a look of cold determination in his gaze. "Yes, sir. I've got faith in me."

"Faith that you will survive?"

"Nope," Titan grinned, signing the permission form and handing it back to the Hokage, "Faith that I'll _thrive_."

The surrounding jounin looked with uncertainty to one another. Were the exams really so terrifying? Were they truly such an ordeal, Titan was expected to fail, or worse, be killed? For one moment, he felt doubt creep a tendril up his heart, but, with a practiced ease, he dismissed it. No use worrying about the maybes or the what ifs. Titan was best to be concerned with what is, and what will be.

The Hokage, again, reacted in opposite to those surrounding, and took the paper, looking for a small moment at the signature before back up at titan. A grin split his face from ear to ear, and for a moment, Titan saw the Third as he had in a picture on his father's shelf: Young, and lethal. Age hadn't dulled the blade. It had refined it. "I'll be holding you to that, Shou Titan. Good luck."

Titan bowed politely, and took his leave, the titanic hand pulling the door shut behind him.

He stood alone in the hall, and, for the first time since leaving home, he felt completely isolated. Running the giant fingers of his synthetic gauntlet through his earthy-brown hair, he gave a long, hard sigh. Now wasn't the time for him to homesick, or to feel the cold grip of lonesomeness. Now was the time to prepare. The exams were to begin the next day, and Shou Titan wasn't about to fail the expectations of his village, and his father.

But the Third Hokage's voice echoed in his head: "You will be completely alone".

"Maybe," Titan whispered in reply, turning on his heel and making his way towards the exit, "But that's never stopped me before, now, has it?"

There was no reply, and when the six-toothed gear met sunlight, Titan was grinning wide as ever, confidence in every step.

* * *

Sarutobi gave a long sigh as the door shut, and leaned back, easing the ache that ran down his spine as he took a puff on his pipe. Jounin set back to work, murmuring and gossiping about what had just transpired. Aged eyes looked down at the paper, and moved the permission slip aside to see a letter, slightly worn on the edges. It was a month old, but the ink still shone brightly.

_To the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi-_

_Sending my boy to your exams. Keep an eye on him. Will be arriving for the finals._

_Regards,_

_Shou Cronos_

_The First Yureikage_

Yurei. Ghost, specter, phantom. What definition did that give Cronos' title? A ghost of a shadow, Or the shadow of a ghost?

And what did ghosts have to do with machines, anyway?

Sarutobi gave a long sigh, and started on the next pile of paperwork. He could feel age tug at his bones and muscle, but his mind was as sharp as ever, and Shou Titan had taken focus.

In a voice only the aging Hokage could hear, he murmured, "Cronos, old friend, what in the world have you done?"


	3. A Titan Among Men

Loneliness, ironically enough, was Shou Titan's oldest friend.

Violet eyes opened slightly as sunlight poured into the hotel room, an alarm clock sounding to his left. Sighing, Titan's gargantuan gauntlet reached over, and with a gentle tap, silenced the alarm. Sitting up, he ran his flesh fingers through his dark brown hair, sliding it back. Strands were rustled from a restless slumber, and Titan looked himself over in the mirror past the foot of his bed.

Fifteen years old, and he shouldn't have half of the scars he did. The burns from the number 4 branding had only just begun to fade, and a network of scars crossed his chest. To some, there was fading with age; A knife wound at his hip, and a second burn along his left shoulder. Others were recent, maybe a year or so old: Surgery scars that ran down his chest, and across his stomach. Titan's skin bulged at the right shoulder where the metal connected to bone, and he cast violet eyes on the arm.

How long had it been since he had first lost the tingle of sensation in his fingers? It had to have been years, at least. Titan wasn't known for being able to keep track of things: He was attentive, but forgetful. It didn't help that the further he went forward in his life, the more of his past fell into shadow. But he could remember one day very clearly.

It had been April the twenty third. It was raining, and he had a different name.

* * *

_"Akihiko!"_

_The brunette boy jumped at his desk, the half-fixed toy in his hands. Dammit, did he dose off again? He had to be the laziest boy in the Land of Iron. "I'm in my room, ma!"_

_No sooner had he said that than a woman, tall and slender, with brilliant black hair, opened the door. Her violet eyes sparkled at her son, seeing the half fixed toy in his hands. "Akihiko, isn't that your sister's toy?"_

_"Yeah," The ten year old replied, raising his hands as his eyes widened in slight panic, "But I didn't break it this time, I swear! It fell off of the swingset, so I'm-"_

_"—You're trying to fix it?" His mother finished, and the woman smiled softly, stepping into the room and kissing her son on the forehead. "Honestly. You and Mai are just like your father."_

_Akihiko wasn't sure how to respond to that. His mother both loved and cursed the man who was the father of the twins. The patriarch of the Honda family was hardly around enough for Akihiko to know exactly what his father was like. He'd send toys and pleasant results of his tinkerings, but he never came himself._

_It wasn't like Honda Akihiko was going to get any more isolated in this snow mountain, but it would've been nice to see his father. Mai was good company, but she was too interested in butterflies and fantasy stories to be someone you could hang out with. Every time the twins did, she talked his ear off. Akihiko was minding less and less as time went by. He had a playmate, at least, even if it was his strange twin sister._

_His mother, of course, was always a comfort. Their father sent her fine silk dresses, but she settled for some humble robes. A woman of simple pleasures, Honda Makoto was. She knelt by her son's stool, and looked at the small toy. "Is this one of your father's?"_

_Akihiko nodded, and smiled slightly. "I almost have it fixed, too! Does that make me smarter than dad yet?"_

_It seemed like that was all he thought about. If he were smarter than his father, then his father would come home, right? His father loved to learn, and he would be okay learning from his son, right?_

_Akihiko's mother smiled, and ruffled her boy's hair as he giggled. "It makes me very proud of you, Akihiko. Both you, and Mai." His mother paused, looking outside the window, where rain was still cascading down. "Speaking of your sister, have you seen her?"_

_"You know Mai," Akihiko shrugged, turning back to the toy and taking the small welding tool from its heater, "She loves the rain. It makes for a change from all the snow. She's probably playing in a puddle right now."_

_His mother sighed, standing. "Sometimes I think I gave birth to a boy instead of your sister."_

_Akihiko giggled. He couldn't agree more._

_He pressed the iron to an edge of the toy, and someone screamed. The toy dropped as Akihiko jumped, and his mother dashed to the door. You knew the call of family when you heard it. As his mother raced downstairs, Akihiko tore to the window, soldering iron still in hand, and looked outside._

_He almost threw up._

_His sister lay on the ground, eyes dim, her head at a funny angle. Mai's eyes, usually so full of life, were dim, the violet lifeless as the small girl lay strewn on the ground. Above her stood a man, shrouded in a black cloak, red clouds sparsely patterned across it. Akihiko gulped, and saw his mother race out of the door. Was that a sword in her hand?_

_It was. A long dao, flashing as her eyes did, murder in her gaze. The figure took one look at her, and, suddenly, he was standing in front of her, hand on her throat—_

_Akihiko wanted to look away. He didn't want to see it, but his muscles seemed rooted in place._

_The sound of his mother's neck snapping sounded through the small clearing before their house, and, though Akihiko thought he'd scream, no sound came from his lips. Her lifeless body dropped to the ground, dao at her side. The man stepped past them out of the rain, and Akihiko was pulled from his paralysis by the sound of sandals clicking onto the wood of the house._

_Well, what now?_

_Akihiko had to move. But he was scared, and could taste vomit on his tongue. When did he throw up? No, no time to think about that. He could hear the clicking of the sandals, ascending the stairs, the man had to be at the door by now—_

_Akihiko turned, and looked into hood of the cloak. He couldn't see anything, save for a few strands of black hair, and scarlet eyes, marred by black spots. The man had to be at least six feet tall, his bloody red eyes cold and dull. Akihiko didn't know when he'd started shaking, but he could feel his knobby knees trembling._

_The man looked at him. Akihiko looked back, swallowed, and tried to glare. It amounted to little more than a huff from the tall man. He didn't say anything, only stepping forward. He was reaching out his hand, the same hand that had just killed his mother and sister, the fingers were just brushing against his neck._

_The man screamed as Akihiko drove the soldering iron into the man's palm. Grabbing his wrist, Akihiko's eyes became blurry. Tears? Was he dizzy? No time. No time to think, no time to care. He was angry, furious, and vengeful. The man stepped back, looking at the sizzling hole in his hand, before Akihiko moved, and opened his toy chest, pulling out a small baton._

_No one in the Land of Iron cared much about shinobi affairs, but there was a boy who ha dreamed of being one. That boy, his family's bodies still laying in the mud and rain, poured his chakra into the baton, and it crackled with electricity at the head._

_The man seemed calmly impressed by this. He looked at the hole in his hand, and then lowered it. Akihiko held the baton on his shaking arms, and watched the man with teary, violet eyes. The scarlet eyes of the killer watched, emotionless and cold, before, in a flash, he was upon Akihiko, and Akihiko swung the baton…_

_It connected with a satisfying crack against the man's forehead. He gave another yell of pain, and stumbled back. Akihiko swung the baton again, and again, hitting any part of the killer that he could reach in a blind fury._

_Then, suddenly, the man reached out a hand, grasped Akihiko's right wrist, and snapped it._

_The boy screamed, and used his left hand to drive the baton right into the man's stomach. The man hunched over, and Akihiko made a dash for the door, tapping the baton against the metal doorknob, giving it a slight charge, before he ran from the house._

_How long had he ran from his home, from his mother's and his sister's corpses? Even Akihiko didn't now. What remained clear in his mind was that, amidst the mud and snow, he'd found a cave, and hid himself in it for the night._

_When the samurai found him the next morning, frostbite had all but claimed his right arm._

* * *

Titan looked down at the metal hand, and sighed. Why was he so nostalgic today? Maybe nostalgic wasn't the word. Nostalgia would apply if the day he lost his family was a happy one. But how long had he spent outcast after that?

His father never came for him, after the accident. So, Akihiko stole. He stole food, he stole books, and he stole blankets. The more he had stolen, the more people began to look for him. The more he was noticed. Until, one day, he'd been found. A man had found his hideaway, and offered him a chance at a life he'd dreamed of: A shinobi life.

Akihiko wouldn't have taken it, if it weren't for the other part of the offer. The man would forge him a new arm, one that would show the world how strong he was. Akihiko would never have to steal, beg, or run away again. With an arm like the one the man would make for him, he would be a new man.

* * *

_"And just as you'll be a new man, son," He'd said, "You'll be a new man. You will take my clan name: Shou. But you're other name…"_

_This had made the man pause for the barest of moments, as he had looked over Akihiko's tiny, frail form. Akihiko scowled. He didn't like being small. The man had smiled. "Ah. You do not like that you are small and weak."_

_Akihiko's tiny scowl was ice cold. "No."_

_"Do you wish to be a giant, boy?"_

_"No." The man gave him a look of query, and Akihiko's lips had split from ear to ear in a determined grin, fire burning in the cold violet eyes. "I want to be bigger. I want to be stronger. I want to stand over giants, and make them look up to me."_

_The man had smiled at that, and raised a hand. "Then, from this day forward, you are my son, and you will be a Titan among men; and that is what they will call you." When they had left the building, Honda Akihiko had been left behind. Now, Shou Titan strode beside his new mentor, and his new father, as he led the young child towards the brilliant new future._

* * *

Now, he stood alone, dressing himself for the day. Zipping up the mechanic's jumpsuit, Titan picked up the headband, and tied it around his forehead, his violet eyes blazing as he grinned into the mirror.

A Titan among men; That's what he was supposed to be. He would topple giants.

Even if he had topple them alone.


	4. Enter The Giant-Killer

The streets were no place for Shou Titan. Not today. Not in the brilliant, exhilarated mood he was in.

Today, with the dawn, came the first Chunin exam, and the young shinobi couldn't have been more excited. He would be making history, not only as the first genin from Kikaigakure to take the exams and best them, but he'd be one of the few to do it alone.

Titan grinned at the thought with rapt euphoria. His Lord First would be so proud of him, and, to Titan, that was all that mattered. Though, a small thought did dare to speak up in the back of his mind; that he hated being alone, but now, was taking refuge and confidence in the idea that his loneliness might, for once, serve and better him. He would be stronger once these exams were over, no matter the way they ended. But if he could pass, he would not only set records and be legend for the rest of the exams to come; He would finally be able to join his comrades in arms, who were chunin themselves.

The Academy came into view, and Titan's grin widened as he leaped a wide rooftop, boots impacting on the soil below as he smirked wildly. There were still stares at his arm today, but Titan found solace in them today. If those who lived here were still surprised at the sight, the ninjas inside would be stone cold stunned.

Raising his boot, he kicked the door open, and dashed up the stairs. A quick glance at the clock made him curse; he might be late. He might be disqualified because of it, and he couldn't bear that thought. Vaulting the last staircase, he ricocheted off of the side wall, shooting towards the door at the end of the hall. No time to open the door. He made some justu signs with his his flesh hand, and-

_**"Steel Release: Drill Style!"**_

* * *

Hyuga Neji was used to shrieking fools. He was used to idiots and incompetents, to those who would bark loudly for lack of a bite. Had he not been trying to block out the sound of that idiot Naruto's foolish declaration, or his teammate's attempt to placate the tense candidates, the Hyuga might not have heard the shout of a justu.

But he would've most certainly heard what came after either way.

There was a roar like no other, of screaming metal and a furious engine, and he turned. Before he could tell his teammates to move, before he could push Tenten back, away from the door, before he could even activate the All-Seeing Eye, the door splintered.

A massive metal drill penetrated it's center, sending splinters flying across the room as the door weakly shattered, collapsing in two rough pieces on the floor. As the dust and woodchips faded, the drill slowed its rotation, and Neji's eyes widened.

The drill was attached to a metal arm, trembling happily with power as the boy the arm was attached to opened a pair of bright, violet eyes. Swept-back hair, shades darker than the door he'd just splintered, remained in place, the tips waving softly behind a headband with an unfamiliar sigil: A six-toothed gear. Adorned in a faded blue jumpsuit, stains of ink or oil splattered across the fabric, the boy drew himself up from his stance, and the drill vanished with a poof of smoke.

In its place was a hand, a colossal hand, with fingers as thick as sausages, a great cylinder behind it as an upper arm. The entire arm was constructed of a dark steel, but not so dark it didn't glisten dangerously in the light. Testing the fingers, the boy with violet eyes looked over the room. His eyes were cold, and calculating, scanning across the sea of genin. For a moment, Neji thought he saw something like apprehension in the boy's eyes, before he giggled weakly and placed his hands, both the one of flesh and the one of steel, behind his head. It was an odd look, as the metal hand was far larger than the other. "Heh, sorry," He said, winking at those present, "I wasn't sure if the door was locked or not."

To the boy's credit, that had been a spectacular entrance. The genin, so focused on Naruto's declaration, were now staring in total shock and rapt confusion at the boy with the metal arm in the doorway. Neji was the first to even show the slightest reaction, looking down at the door, splintered and broken at the boy's feet, before he looked back at this new genin.

For a moment, no one said anything.

And then, of course, Naruto broke the silence.

"What the _Hell_, new guy! You _totally_ ruined the mood, you know!"

In retrospect, Neji should've seen that statement coming a mile away. The violet-eyed ninja blinked, lips pursed. "I ruined the mood? How? It was just a door."

Naruto sputtered, before pointing an accusing finger at the newcomer, his teammate Sakura shoved off of him with spectacular indignation. "I just told all these guys I'm going to make chunin, you know! That I'll beat the pants off of them!"

"Why their _pants_? Why not something else? Like their hair?"

"That's not the _point_, asshole!"

A vein pulsed in the boy's flesh shoulder, as he raised a one-finger salute to Naruto with his titanic hand. "Bite me, _traffic cone_!"

Naruto gave a roar before he charged, and the new boy's eyes went wide in panic. He raised the metal arm to block an attack, but thankfully, he didn't have to. Sasuke, to his credit, knew better than to start a fight. Reaching out a foot, he tripped his teammate, and Naruto came crashing to the ground.

For a moment, Neji thought he heard the heiress of his clan give a whimper of, "Naruto!", but that couldn't have been right. Instead, his eyes looked back to the boy. "Identify yourself."

The boy blinked, and looked over Neji as if he had just noticed him, crossing his arms. Again, this looked absurd, given one was larger than the other. "Hello to you, too. Geez, is this where manners come to die or something?"

Neji could almost feel the hateful gazes of the genin present on the new boy. Save for the Rookie 9, he seemed to have made an instant enemy out of all those present by flashing one of his abilities. Eyes narrowing, the Hyuga prodigy scowled. "Would you rather it be _I_ who tosses you out of the room? Either way, you're hardly in a place to talk about manners."

"Huh?"

"You broke the door down. With a drill."

The boy nodded. "Yeah, and?"

Neji felt a vein pulse in his forehead, and his eyebrow twitch. Why was it all the idiots seemed to orbit around him? Was there some sort of Karma placed on him at birth? Was this another part of his fate? "_You didn't have to_, is my point. It was hardly a polite thing to do."

The boy shrugged. "I didn't know if it was locked." Violet eyes tore away from white for a moment as the titanic metal hand reached down, and offered, of all people, Naruto a hand up.

Naruto, to his credit, was surprised. But, grinning like the fool he was, he took the hand as the new boy pulled him to his feet. "Thanks, new guy!"

"You're welcome!" The boy grinned, and then, looking back to Neji, thumbed a metal digit at the blonde. "_See?_ Now, _that's_ manners."

"Yeah, _Neji_."

Neji felt himself shake with rage as the two smugly grinned at him. Now he had another mongrel to contend with? "Insolent, _arrogant_-"

A slender hand grasped his shoulder, and his eyes turned to see Tenten, a look of concern on her face as she shook her head. Perhaps she was concerned for his life, but Neji was not. Still, it gave him a moment to rethink. The boy was hardly worth wasting fury on, when he could do that easily in the exams to come. He exhaled, and nodded thankfully to Tenten, who grinned warmly back.

When he turned, Naruto and the newcomer were shaking hands. Neji noticed Naruto hardly seemed to care that the metal hand was engulfing his own. "Shou Titan. I'm the delegation from Kikaigakure. This is the room for the genin exams, right?"

It took Neji a moment to fully comprehend what "Titan" had just said. Thankfully, Ino echoed his thoughts. "You broke down the _door_," Ino said, a great deal more potent rage in her vision, "_And you didn't even know if it was the right room?_"

Titan pursed his lips and tilted his head her way, violet eyes looking her up and down. "Well, I couldn't risk being late, could I? I'd be disqualified or something."

Neji was certain all peers present echoed his thoughts. Save, of course, for Naruto.

This guy was a complete idiot.

There was a clicking of sandals, and a voice spoke to Titan. "Well, you're not wrong."

A lanky, grey-haired ninja was approaching. What was his name again? Kabuto? Neji wasn't sure. He'd seen the man appear every now and then. His face was unmistakable. Titan blinked, tilting his head. There was something in his eyes this time, Neji noticed. Something peculiar. It was a mixture of certainty and damning knowledge in his gaze. "I'm sorry, and you'd be?"

"Kabuto," The man replied, raising a hand in a wave, "This'll be my fourth year at these exams. Still, I can't say I've seen anyone like you before. Did you say you were from Kikaigakure?"

The boy's face split in a wide grin. "Heard of us?"

"No, actually," Kabuto replied, and Neji saw a pleased smile turn his lips, "Which is what I find fascinating. Are all your teammates like you?"

"Teammates?"

Kabuto's face changed from curiosity to confusion in a millisecond. Even Neji had to look at "Titan" with surprise. "Are you saying you came _alone_?"

Titan, at this, grinned widely, and nodded. "Sure did!"

And that caught Neji by compete surprise. What was this boy thinking? He would be going against, not just more experienced ninja, but teams of them. And this stranger, this Titan, he would face everything alone? If Neji didn't know better, he'd say he was feeling pity for the lone genin. May fate be more merciful to you than it was to me, Shou Titan.

Kabuto seemed a mixture of stunned and impressed. "Interesting." Taking a deck of cards from his back pocket, he picked one up, and pressed his chakra into it. Neji watched at the blank card slowly turned into an image. A picture of Titan was now present, along with a blank statistics graph. "I'll have to add you to my deck, Titan."

As Neji looked back at Titan, he saw the lone ninja grin. "Then write _this_ down." Stepping past Naruto and Sakura, Titan stood, his back to the nine. Neji took his chance, and activated his bloodline.

He wasn't ready for what he saw.

His chakra…It was wrong. It was _all wrong_. A normal chakra system was full of sweeping lines, like a river, but this, this was something else. Each chakra point was connected at angles, matching across the body. It looked more like a circuit board than a chakra system. And that was rhe least of it.

Six bars were embedded in his spine, perpendicular to the bone. They reminded Neji of the pins one puts in insect wings to keep them still. While Hinata's oddball teammate might not appreciate that comparison, it was apt. Each pillar looked to be driven into his spine. What were they for?

Before he could ask, Titan had raised his hand, and Neji deactivated the Byakugan to see him raise his fist in challenge to the room.

"My name is Shou Titan, and with this arm of mine, I will bring giants crashing down!"

The room went still and quiet at the declaration. Neji heard Kabuto laugh softly, and heard Naruto "ooh" in awe. He only glared, fingers curling into fists. When did he grow so furious with someone he'd barely met?

_Shou Titan, who will bring giants to their knees…Even you will buckle and bend to destiny._


	5. Like A Whirlwind In A Thorn Tree

Brilliant red hair will get you noticed. Ironically, so does being a ninja in a small town.

Boots walking a steady rhythm into the dirt road, her brilliant scarlet hair sweeping down past her hips behind her, she moved along the street with diligence. Wearing the same mechanic's jumpsuit as her brothers and fellow ninja of Kikaigakure, the kunoichi moved along with focus in mind, brilliant emerald eyes focused on a tower that stretched into the overcast sky, scarlet bangs framing the porcelain face. As she moved along, people would bow their heads in a small, sincere salute, with a mutter of, "Lady Athena" as she passed.

Shou Athena didn't mind that, terribly. Normally, she would warmly beam at people, shake their hands, and thank them for their support of her father. But her cold steel heart was hardened today with purpose. Sliding her forehead protector into her hair, using it as a headband, Athena stroked leather-bound fingers over the top, tracing the sigil of her house and home.

Aside from the standard jumpsuit, she wore the flak jacket of a chunin of Kikaigakure; a leather vest, with a the patch of the six-toothed gear on the back. On the front, over her right breast pocket, was a kanji, that read "Shou", identifying her as one of the five children of her clan, the founders of the city. A number "2" was tattoed onto her forehead, dead in the center, with the mark of a whirlpool in the middle of the number.

Her former clan, she had been told, used the symbol as their own. Athena had never known the clan they spoke of; not even their name. But she could recall the way her mother loved her, the way she spoke of her family with equal passion and devotion, and it was enough for her to respect her former clan.

Arriving at a pair of great metal doors, a pair of chunin guards bowed their heads politely. She spoke to them in her smooth, gentle monotone, emerald eyes focused and determined. "Is my father in?"

"Yes, Lady Athena," One of them said, and moved to open the door.

But the door opened for her.

Standing in the double doorway was a man, towering over her. His skin seemed to be pure steel, a single sheet, and, though he was adorned in the same jacket and jumpsuit as other ninja of Kikaigakure, there was something otherworldly about him. His head was bald and bare, forehead protector hanging around his neck. His eyes were empty and white, but Athena could feel her brother's watching eyes. "Hello, Atlas," She said, looking up at her brother, as the chunin bowed their heads, averting their eyes from the titan.

Atlas didn't smile. He was normally the wittiest of the Shou children, but there was something commanding in her younger brother's words today, humor and snark gone. "Father is expecting you."

Athena nodded, and followed the gargantuan man inside, Atlas closing the great doors behind them. Leading her across the atrium, which was filled with various ninja and citizens, Atlas stopped at the elevator, and, once the doors slid open, he stepped inside. Athena had to take two steps just to keep up with one of his. Was it just Athena's imagination, or were Atlas' footfalls especially heavy today?

The doors shut, and the elevator began to rise. Emerald eyes looked up at her younger brother. "Atlas—"

They had sixty floors to talk, but Atlas gave her silencing look. She scowled.

"I'm not the person you should be mad at, brother."

He growled, his voice a rumbling, gravely baritone. "Well, you sure didn't do anything to stop him from dashing off, so you ought to share the blame."

She narrowed her eyes. "You know Titan. Even if we locked him in the Underforge with sixty seals and yourself to stop him,—"

"—He'd leave anyway," Atlas finished, and sighed with resignation. A massive metal hand came up to his kneading, kneading the flesh. Athena couldn't help but notice he did this when he was upset, or that it made no sound of metal on metal. "I just don't like the thought of him doing this alone."

"Which is why," Athena said, her voice softening, as a slender leather glove rested on Atlas' shoulder, "I'm going to talk to father." The Yureikage, to most, was an immovable object.

But Athena knew better than to give up.

The elevator slowed to a stop at the peak of the tower, and Atlas gave her one last nod before the doors swung open. Before them stretched an office, spacious but spartan, with only a desk and a few boxes around it for company. Behind the desk, she could see her father, Shou Cronos, the first Yureikage, working diligently on some paperwork. Next to him was a boy, no more than ten, with a mop of blonde hair, and cold blue eyes.

The boy looked up first, and smiled a mirthless smile at his elder sister. "Hello, Athena."

"Hades," She replied. She loved her brother, but there was something unsettling about his placid calm. She stepped to the desk, Atlas following her, and kissed his forehead. Hades' pale white skin was as cold as his eyes. "How are you today?"

The boy nodded, and ice blue eyes met warm emerald. It was like a winter storm was meeting a spring day. "I am well. Though you leave me baffled, elder sister. I was surprised to hear of your dissent."

The man behind the desk huffed, and he sat up. "Dissent is the purest form of patriotism, my boy. I'm proud of your elder sister for speaking her heart."

The Iron Ghost was a panther-like man in build. Wearing flowing robes of white, with gray accents, it was easy for Athena to see how he had earned that name among his samurai peers. His blade was next to him, leaning against the table, as his dark grey eyes focused on his eldest daughter. Swept-back black hair fell down his back in a short mane.

For once in a long time, Athena realized, her father looked exhausted. She could see dark spots under his eyes, and the steely gray had few embers burning behind it. Still, his lips turned in a small smile, and a calloused hand cupped her cheek. "My dear Athena."

Athena smiled softly, and kissed her foster father's cheek. Stubble had begun to grow there. "Father. When was the last time you shaved? Or slept?"

She could hear Atlas mutter, "Or bathed," as the second child of Shou crossed his gargantuan arms, sniffing with a small grin. Steel eyes looked up to his empty white with amusement.

"Yesterday," Shou Cronos replied, turning back to the paperwork and signing it, "I'm glad you both arrived. I just received word from our contact that your brother just completed the first trial."

"Exam," Hades piped up, but Athena pressed a hand on her shorter brother's head.

She wasn't pleased, that should've been easy enough to notice. Her emerald eyes flashed furiously, her other hand curling into a fist. The straining of the leather was audible. "Alone."

Her foster father raised a bushy eyebrow. "Ah, yes," He murmured, lowering his pen and turning in his chair to look at his eldest daughter, "You don't approve of my methods. You don't think I should've sent him alone."

"There are no ninja in Kikaigakure who wouldn't stand with my brother," Athena replied, her voice unyielding, but still cordial, "None of us have taken the exams. Chunin or no, I would gladly join Titan and show the world—"

"—That the ninja of Kikaigakure abandon their posts in the name of pride?"

"In the name of _family._" She replied, her voice rising. Athena grit her teeth, as the Iron Ghost, her foster father, narrowed his eyes at her. "I understand your apprehension father, and your strategy is sound—"

"I should hope so," Atlas interrupted, a smug grin on his steel lips, "You're the one who came up with it."

"—but Titan shouldn't have to go through this alone, and that's final!"

Now she'd crossed a line, and she knew it. Atlas and Hades were both silent as her father drew himself up, looking down at her. She didn't shake, or flinch, or move. Emerald met steel, and you could almost see the sparks fly. "If I ever hear the words, 'that's final', come out of your mouth again," He growled, voice low and commanding, holding back the furious storm that was suddenly blazing behind his eyes, "They will be."

Athena said nothing, but didn't break eye contact with her father. After a minute, he sighed, and kissed her forehead. "Athena, I have the utmost faith in your brother's abilities."

"As do I," She replied, "But must he really suffer this alone?"

She saw the look in her father's eyes when he nodded, and knew she'd lost the battle. She bowed her head, and turned, making for the door. As she walked off, she could hear Atlas, Hades, and her father converse.

"Well, _that_ was new."

"The Spear of Kikaigakure is in rare form today."

"She loves her brother, what else do you expect? Atlas, bring me that map of Konohagakure—Not that one, the new one that Sarutobi sent me for my birthday last month with the updated foundations. Hades, show me where the Sound and Sand are planning to position themselves for the siege. We should make sure we-"

Athena closed the door behind her, muffling the Yureikage's voice as she sighed. Her mind was a hurricane, a swirling tempest, and she needed time to think. Skipping the elevator, she took off along the rooftops, before she reached one of the hot springs in town. Built against a mountain, Kikaigakure had healthy springs, and Shou were allowed access for free.

Stripping down to just bare porcelain skin, she looked over her surgical scars. They crossed her torso like a railroad, just as they did on the rest of her brother's bodies. Chakra modification was dangerous, but it was the only way their systems could handle what their father implanted in them.

She had been found, alone, making rash choices and practicing poor tactics. Her father had raised her up, and promised the timid girl that she would be strong, and that she would never lose again.

Lowering herself into the water to think, her hair tied up tightly behind her as her shapely frame was swallowed by the pool, Athena rested her head against the rim of the spring and mouthed the name of her favorite brother. "Ti-Tan".

The Spear of Kikaigakure had won them plenty of battles already, but the one thing she couldn't bear the thought of losing was her family. And, as she hugged her body, sinking lower into the spring, all she could see was her brother, standing before the world, facing it alone.

Her heart might have been made of unbreakable steel, one of her father's most perfect designs, but at that thought, she could swear she felt it breaking.


End file.
